The tape drive apparatus that uses a single reel tape cartridge has been in existence. While the existing single reel tape cartridge may be small and convenient for the user to handle or carry it, the cartridge requires, when mounted on the tape drive apparatus, that the tape be extracted from its cartridge and wound onto a takeup reel which is provided within the drive unit.
To meet the requirements, the existing tape drive apparatus comprises a takeup reel having a leader tape within the drive unit. The leader tape comprises a hook at its end. On the other hand, the magnetic tape stored in the tape cartridge comprises a hole to be hooked at its end. When the tape cartridge is mounted on the tape drive to load the tape, the takeup real is actuated, and the end of the leader tape moves through a guide groove provided in the drive unit until the end of the leader tape protrudes from the end of the groove, where the hook at the end of the leader tape vertically faces the hook hole at the end the magnetic tape held immediately above the leader tape. With the hook and hole in this relationship, a hammer provided at the end of the guide groove kicks the end of the leader tape upward, causing the hook hole at the end of the magnetic tape to engage the hook at the end of the leader tape. Subsequently, the takeup reel rotates to wind the leader tape, thereby extracting the magnetic tape from the tape cartridge.
The above-described tape drive apparatus is conventionally constituted such that, the end of the leader tape attached to the takeup reel in the drive unit moves through the guide groove to meet the magnetic tape and hook it to be connected, in order to extract the magnetic tape from the tape cartridge. However, the leader tape, being a flexible resin film, cannot move smoothly and stably to fetch the magnetic tape, and the leader tape also shakes as its hook end vertically faces the hook hole of the end of the magnetic tape, rendering the mutually facing relationship between the hook and hole unstable, and frequently resulting in errors in engaging. On an error in engaging, no second attempt is available, and the tape cartridge must be removed once and remounted at the expense of time and effort.
A human contact or other forms of mechanical shock given to the drive apparatus while carrying the leader tape to the takeup reel may cause the ends of the leader tape and the magnetic tape to unhook from each other.